Have you ever experienced wandering in the streets with nowhere to sleep? Homelessness is also a problem present in Philippine society just like in other third-world countries. After seeing the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Bro. Eliseo Soriano came up with an idea of establishing a temporary housing shelter that provides free meals, clothing, bathing and sleeping area for people who wanders the streets in the middle of the night.
In the movie, Chris Gardner (portrayed by Will Smith) and his son were forced to move into a transient home offering free accommodation to the homeless in San Francisco, California. The transient home of the Kamanggagawa Foundation is situated along EDSA in Philam Homes, Quezon City. The project was founded in response to Bro. Eli Soriano’s call to establish the said building for the homeless who seeks temporary shelter for a night or week.
“My dream is to find friends; the lost souls; to meet the less fortunate; the hungry; the underfed; the forgotten; and all those rejected by human society: to share with them the hope that is in me; and to be a humble instrument of my Great God, to announce that there is something beautiful and wonderful in store for them who were neglected by this present world!” says the 63-year-old evangelist.
Bro. Eli also knew that the gospel is not only intended for Filipinos. His preaching has reached the shores of Africa and Papua New Guinea. The poverty-stricken lands have seen the light when local evangelical pastors recognized the genuine doctrines of Christ that they found by browsing the Internet. As a preacher who is not only concern for the spiritual welfare of his flock, Bro. Eli Soriano sends material help to feed the hungry and the needy in lands that are alien from the place where the true Christian faith came from.
Today, Bro. Eli Soriano’s organization, Members Church of God International (MCGI), has an international presence in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and in different parts of Asia.
Bro. Eli Soriano is the program host of the most popular religious program in the Philippines known for answering queries of people regarding religion. His devotion to his chosen vocation led him to use the broadcast media to reach a wide audience. Through intense propagation of the gospel, he was able to lead many souls to the rightful way of serving God. Recently, the evangelist celebrated his 46th year in service to the almighty from the day he accepted the Christian faith in his life.
Unlike most people who receive gifts during an anniversary, birthday or other special occasion, Bro. Eli Soriano prefers to give rather than to receive. His ministry maintains several orphanages in different parts of the country. Through the Kamanggagawa Foundation, he led the program to provide child care and feeding programs for the poor. According to the evangelist, he was inspired to accomplish this project when he watched a documentary that features the malnourished children in the Payatas (Smokey Mountain) and Baseco compounds in Manila. Seeing the children having nothing to eat during recess in school moved him to tears.
